We all want to know how to live. But before the good life was reduced to ten easy steps or a prescription from the doctor, it was the philosophers who offered arresting answers to the most fundamental questions about who we are and what makes for a life worth living. Here, James Miller returns to this vibrant tradition with short, lively biographies of twelve famous philosophers. With a flair for paradox and rich anecdote, this is a book that confirms the continuing relevance of philosophy today--and explores the most urgent questions about what it means to live a good life.--From publisher description.

Socrates -- Plato -- Diogenes -- Aristotle -- Seneca -- Augustine -- Montaigne -- Descartes -- Rousseau -- Kant -- Emerson -- Nietzsche.